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DJ Shadow

DJ Shadow

ALL ARTIST INFO IS PULLED FROM PUBLICLY AVAILABLE DATA.
IF YOU REPRESENT THIS ARTIST AND WOULD LIKE TO VERIFY YOUR PAGE OR UPDATE THE INFO, Click Here
birthday
29th
June, 1972
Birth Place
San Jose, California, U.S.
Birth Sign
cancer
Biography

The stage name DJ shadow is the alias of Joshua Paul Davis, a 49-year-old producer and songwriter who blends the sounds of hip-hop, funk, soul, rock, trip-hop, and more to create his distinct experimental instrumental hip-hop style and sound. He released his debut studio album, Endtroducing, on September 16, 1996, via the Mo’ Wax label, and he’s been a mainstay in the instrumental hip-hop world ever since. 

Throughout his career, DJ Shadow has become a key figure in the disc jockey world. Drawing heavy inspiration from hip-hop’s early years and groups like Public Enemy, Ultramagnetic MCs, and more, he went on to accomplish something truly special after starting with just a pair of turntables and a sampler. 

He’s since collaborated with the likes of Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Run the Jewels, Nas, Q-Tip, Thom Yorke of Radiohead, and many more. His record Endtroducing is considered one of the best albums in the trip-hop genre.

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instruments played
drums
keyboards
percussion
sampler
synthesizer
turntables
Associated Acts

Unkle The Quannum Collective Cut Chemist De La Soul Killer Mike Richard Ashcroft

Birth Name

Joshua Paul Davis

Genres

Hip hop instrumental hip hop trip hop electronic turntablism sampledelia ambient

Origin

Davis, California, U.S.

Website

www.djshadow.com

Years Active

1989 present[citation needed]

Name

DJ Shadow

Nationality

United States of America

Wiki Link

A Quick Introduction to DJ Shaw

Joshua Paul Davis was born on June 29, 1972, in San Jose, California. While in high school, he started making music using a four-track recorder, and his skills grew quickly. Joshua eventually became a DJ at a University of California, Davis radio station called KDVS.  During this time, he became involved the shaping what would later become the genres of acid jazz and trip-hop, introducing these genres to a wider audience over the airwaves as a radio DJ and making his own songs.  Josh Davis got signed to the London label Mo' Wax in the early 90s, and he quickly started earning comparisons to industry peers like Portishead and Massive Attack. At the time, these groups were the forerunners of the trip-hop scene in the UK, and Josh Davis was considered one of the biggest names in trip-hop across the pond in the US. After getting signed, Davis worked as a producer for several acts, most notably rapper Paris on the album Sleeping with the Enemy. DJ shadow later collaborated with Massive Attack on a remix of the track "Karmacoma" before setting out to work on his debut album. Several of his remixes were released on Hollywood Basic. 

Endtroducing

DJ Shadow's first album was a fully self-produced effort. It features the singles "Midnight in a Perfect World," "Stem," "What Does Your Soul Look Like (Part 1)," and "The Number Song/Painkiller," all of which received high praise from critics. In lieu of lyrics, Shadow opted to use his Akai MPC70 sampler to get whatever material he needed from other artists. Musicians sampled on the record include Metallica, Björk, and numerous more obscure names. The tracks on Shadow's debut production album feature looped drums and bass underneath layers of samples from numerous rappers, singers, and DJs. The album's sound placed DJ Shadow in the ranks of the most creative and innovative DJs around, and he's never left those ranks ever since. Endtroducing earned rave reviews, even scoring a rare 10/10 from Pitchfork, who are well-known for their stinginess. The album was later ranked by Rolling Stone magazine as 329th on the list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. 

Preemptive Strike and More 

After the success of his first album, DJ shadow went on to put out a compilation of early singles and remixes via Mo'Wax two years later. The album, Preemptive Strike, features remixes of Shadow's songs by Cut Chemist and DJ Q-Bert, as well as a Depeche Mode Mashup.  Shadow's second studio album, The Private Press, was his first release via MCA Records. His sophomore effort solidified his status as one of the key names in the instrumental hip-hop movement, and it features the singles "You Can't Go Home Again," "Six Days," and "Mashin' on the Motorway."  DJ Shadow released his first live album, Live! In Tune and on Time, on June 15, 2004, via Geffen Records. Recorded at Brixton Academy in London, the album features works from throughout Shadow's music career up to that point, including tracks from his collaborations with UNKLE and Quannum. 

The Outsider 

DJ Shadow's third studio album, The Outsider, was released on September 19, 2006, via Universal Motown. Reaching number 77 on the Billboard 200, the record went on to become one of Shadow's more polarizing pieces of music. 

The Less You Know, the Better 

Released on September 30, 2011, via Island Records, DJ Shadow's fourth album features the singles "I've Been Trying," "I Gotta Rokk," "Warning Call," and "Scale It Back." The record was considered a disappointment by some fans, but others loved the album and couldn't get enough of it. 

DJ Shadow’s Recent Work

In 2016, DJ Shadow put out The Mountain Will Fall, his fifth album and first in five years. The record features the single "Nobody Speak," which features rap duo Run the Jewels. Shadow's most recent record is Our Pathetic Age, an album that includes the singles "Rocket Fuel," "Rosie," and "Urgent, Important, Please Read." It was released via Mass Appeal Records on November 15, 2019.

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